Systems used in the optical message transmission technique are accommodated to an ever increasing extent on integrated optical components (Such integrated optical components or optical ICs are disclosed, for example, in DE-OS No. 32 30 657 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,440). The light to be transported and to be processed in such systems is fed into planar waveguies which are provided in the surfaces of a glass body by, for example, ion exchange. When the ends of the planar waveguides are led to the side edges of the optical ICs production-technical and optical problems for coupling optical fibres thereto occur.